and now from washington's leading news station, this is news4 at 6:00. >> developing news tonight. the search is on for two local hikers missing in montana. but first, after more than 30 years in public services colleagues remember former u.s. senator arlen specter. he died today at the age of 82. good evening, everyone. i'm jim rosenfield. specter passed away at his home from philadelphia from complications from nonhodgkin's lymphoma. the pennsylvania politician served in the senate for more than 30 years. he sparked controversy in 2009 when he switched parties to run as a democrat for his sixth term. specter said he didn't think he could win the nomination in the increasingly conservative republican party. he lost the primary to

then-congressman joe sestak. a developing story right now, a search under way tonight for two local hikers believed to be missing in montana. kneel peckens of virginia and jason hiser of maryland left for a hiking trip in glacier national park. family members reported them missing friday when they failed to catch their flight home. park rangers found their car later today and today six crews combed hiking trails and interviewed visitors. park rangers say high winds and snow are making the search difficult. a long awaited homecoming for family and friends at the d.c. armory. some 70 members of the army national guard came home from afghanistan after a ten-month deployment. darcy spenser is live tonight at the d.c. armory with more on the happy reunions. darcy? >> caller: jim, happy only begins to describe the emotion

that was felt here today as these soldiers returned home. this is part of the welcoming crew, and there was a banner here to greet these soldiers, but it was the hugs, kisses, and tears that made all the difference. >> d.c.! whoo! baby girl! >> reporter: it was an emotional homecoming for d.c. national guards 273rd military police company. >> it felt good. everything is okay now. >> i'm just happy to be home, to see grass, trees, my family, d.c. you know, i love the united states. >> reporter: the soldiers have spent the last ten months in afghanistan. it was tough at times for wives like lamonica. she and her husband have nine children together. >> just trying to maintain stability at home with the family, it's been rough. >> reporter: but when her husband stepped off the bus, those troubles faded away and

the future was immediately brighter. >> i feel like i was -- i just exhaled, you know. i feel like i'm more relaxed now and things will be better that my husband is home. >> it feels good. i mean, i don't really know how to describe it, but it's like a weight is lifted off my shoulders. i have been gone for so long and i miss everybody. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: the unit of 70 soldiers managed a dining facility, mail operations, and logistics and conducted personnel convoys and security details at bagram air base. the woman who made this banner for her daughter could not hold back the tears. what did you miss most? >> just her. >> reporter: emotional moment? >> yes. >> reporter: what's it like to be home? >> it feels good. i'm happy to be home, happy to see my mom finally. so it's been quite an experience.

i'm glad to be back. >> reporter: so i mentioned that welcome home group. they're still here because these soldiers are going to be coming home in waves. another group is expected here in the next few minutes and then they will continue to arrive here into the early morning hours of tomorrow. reporting live from the d.c. national guard, darcy spenser, news4. >> and some beautiful weather greeti greeting those servicemen and women. we're not going to be as lucky tomorrow? >> not quite as fortunate. right smack in the middle of october. yesterday felt like november, and today feels like september. so classic october weather for sure. what a beautiful late afternoon sky out there. the sun going down about 25 minutes from now, and mild. 73 degrees here in washington still after a 76-degree high temperature today. compare that to the 60 for a high temperature yesterday. so a big warm-up. there are rain drops in the forecast. they'll be arriving here after midnight.

we don't need to worry about it in the shorm term. for the rest of our sunday evening, breezy andild out there for the next couple hours. temperatures holding in the low to mid-60s even through 11:00 tonight. a mild sunday even coming. we'll talk more about those monday rain drops, maybe even a thunderstorm coming up. >> chuck, thank you. prince george's county police say they have arrested a suspect in a string of armed robberies. last week three students reported being robbed at gun point near the university view apartments. early this morning police arrested 17-year-old jalil robinson of greenbelt. they say they found several items related to the robberies inside his home. he's being charged as an adult. firefighters in prince george's county were very busy this morning battling three fires between 1:00 and 8:30 a.m. the calls came from all over. college park, upper marlboro and hyattsville. one person was seriously injured, dozens forced out of their homes. as derrick word, it's part of an

alarming trend firefighters see when overnight temperatures start to drop. >> reporter: at least two of the three fires broke out when the pursuit of warmth led to dangerous ends. firefighters pulled an unconscious woman from the basement of this home after a smoke detector went off at about 3:00 in the morning. she was in critical condition from smoke and burns. authorities don't know what started this fire. but while crews were wrapping up near, another fire in brentwood. >> i heard it go just boom. >> reporter: timmy saw it from across the street. resident anthony amarro was already alerted by the smell of smoke. he sprung into action as smoke poured from a neighbor's apartment. >> as soon as i see smoke coming out, i went and got a fire extinguisher, i kicked the door out, there was a couch on fire. >> but it was too much and at that time they worked in tandem sounding the alarms and rousing residents. >> we made sure all the people were out. one lady had to get off the third floor. >> they were coming out with no clothes on. i had to change shirts so i

could give a little girl my shirt. you know, but we saved a lot of lives today. >> reporter: another house in sunniside heavy damaged by a fire believed to have started in the furnace. >> we try to remind everybody before the winter season gets into full effect and everybody is using their furnaces for the first time or full time, to have them checked by a certified technician to come out and make sure they're in good working order. >> reporter: space heaters need to be three feet away from anything that will burn and fireplace chimneys should be checked and cleaned. obstructions and kre society bltup can lead to fires. eight families are homeless. >> fire officials say it's also very important to have a co detector, any heat source with a flame can lead to carbon monoxide buildup, especially in homes that are not well-ventilated. well, whatever you did with your sunday, it cannot be crazier than this. extreme athlete felix baumgartner made history today by becoming the first skydiver

to break the sound barrier. he jumped from 24 miles up reaching speeds of more than 833 miles per hour before safely landing in the desert in new mexico. baumgartner wore a special eye-tech suit and used a special capsule to travel those 24 miles up to make that historic jump. he also had a mission control team on the ground monitoring his every move and they were very happy to see him land safely. there he goes down on his knees. what an adventurer. still ahead tonight, social security recipients are getting a raise. everybody can expect more money next year, but it won't be enough to break the bank. some people will see more money in their ereader accounts courtesy of a price fixing lawsuit. and the long and winding road for the space shuttle "endeavour" has finally come to an end. an end. remember when you said men are superior drivers?

yeah. yeah.

if you collect social security, don't expect a big jump in your monthly benefits next year. the annual cost of living adjustment will be announced tuesday. it's based on inflation and it's only expected to add about $12 to $24 a month to the average social security check. cost of living adjustment was higher last year after two straight years of no increase. if you own a kindle, you could be getting a small amount of money back. part of a settlement with publishers who are accused of

fixing prices. amazon sent certain customers an e-mail informing them they may be eligible for a refund between 30 cents and $1.32. this is applies to books from publishers harper collins, simon and schuster, and hachett book group. the publishers have denied wrongdoing. travel to outer space at thousands of miles per hour, but the space shuttle "endeavour" has finally made it to its final destination tonight. and another beautiful fall day outside but the workweek not

space shuttle "endeavour" has finally arrived at its new home. the shuttle rolled into the california science center in los angeles about two hours ago. but that was more than 15 hours later than scheduled. its 12-mile trip through the city hit some snags. crews had to carefully maneuver the massive shuttle around trees, buildings, and ewe tillitil tillity poles. hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to see the shuttle. the exhibit will open october 30th. what a sight that was. >> just what l.a. traffic needed was the space shuttle navigating downtown. >> like something out of a

horror flick. >> i still always thought it was prettier when it was flying because that's what it was built to do, you know? that shot over the golden gate bridge and when it came down over the national mall, just amazing. >> an amazing sun going down today. >> good looking day outside today and a beautiful sundown on the way, everybody. so if you haven't got anything to do right about 6:30 this evening, as soon as this newscast is over, you are safe to go outside and look at the western sky because it will be, jim you have to wait until the end of the news, you must, of all people, wait. >> okay. >> it's going to be a beautiful evening. temperature made 76 degrees today, and the courtesy of a south wind and an increasing amount of cloud cover out there. temperatures are going to hold in the very mild range here all the way through the next couple hours. so from sunset at 6:30 all the way up through 11:30, 12:00 tonight, it's going to be 65 degrees or warmer. 73 now. winds out of the south averaging 8 miles per hour, and even up across far northern and western maryland, cumberland, maryland, 72 degrees with all the

sunshine. petersburg, west virginia, one of our normal cold spots, 27 degrees there on saturday morning. 74 now. 69 degrees in annapolis. for tomorrow that's when the changes will roll in. overnight the clouds come in. by early tomorrow a chance of showers to the west of d.c. could be breezy and stormy for a brief time around the washington area tomorrow mid to late afternoon and moving into southern maryland by tomorrow evening. nothing in the short term so we don't need to worry about that. there's the slight risk for severe weather for late tonight into the early morning hours tomorrow right along that system. tomorrow though as the cold front moves through our very warm and humid air mass, the slight risk for severe weather tomorrow is basically along into the east of i-95. most likely time frame would be after 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon. we'll be keeping a close eye on that. not looking for a big severe weather outbreak but an energized storm system means damaging winds will be a possibility if we can cook up some stronger thunderstorms. look how mild it is. 75 in pittsburgh right now, and

70 in richmond with the cloud cover coming in ever so quickly now. but rain drops are still i'd say about eight or ten hours away. breezy and mild for the rest of your sunday evening. get outside and enjoy it. perfect night to take the dog out for a nice long walk. the cold front will be coming through here mid to late afternoon tomorrow. that will be our thunder chance. 2:00 in the afternoon on our future cast weather. that will be the chance to see stronger thunderstorms. if you're traveling down towards virginia beach tidewater tomorrow, a much higher risk of seeing stronger thunderstorms there. things clear out very, very quickly as we head into tuesday and wednesday. so with all that in mind, here is the forecast tonight. becoming cloudy but staying mild. breezy at times, showers rolling into the west of washington after midnight tonight, but probably before sunrise tomorrow morning. and then tomorrow afternoon, breezy and it's going to feel humid outside tomorrow. showers likely, thunderstorms possible. not looking for a lot of rain but a very high chance that you're going to get rained on at least once tomorrow. it may not add up to more than a tenth or quarter of an inch. once we get past tomorrow, it's

dry and clear all the way through at least thursday. a little chance for some showers there friday and saturday. we're keeping a close eye on that. still a colder than average in the month of october. the last month we had cooler than average was last october. >> okay. >> keeping an eye on that. >> you keep an eye on the stats. thanks, chuck. coming up in sports, the

this is the xfinity sports desk brought to you by xfinity, your home for the most live sports. do we have any winning scores for us on the hometown scene? >> might just be what a heartbroken fan needs is a little washington redskins therapy. >> victory therapy. >> right. so some medicine for you suffering sports town. skins hosting the vikings trying to snap that eight-game home losing streak.

rg3 is playing and it's looking good. up 23-12 in the third quarter. cowboys running in and looking for their third win of the year while the ravens trying to stay undefeated at home. pick it up in the third after a dan bailey field goal. dallas kicking off to jacoby jones and he is jonesing. blowing by everybody. a 108-yard kickoff return, ties for the longest in nfl history. gives the ravens a 24-13 lead. he has some speed and some moves, guys? do you like that? but the cowboys rally. down eight with under a minute to play. tony romo in the red zone hooking up with a dez bryant. second touchdown of the day, two-point conversion fails, so dallas still down two. cowboys going for the onside kick and guess what? they get it. take a closer look. the ball goes through the legs of the ravens and the cowboys

recover. so it comes down to the foot of dan bailey. 51 yards for the win. and the kick is wide left. the ravens are 5-1 after holding on, barely w a 31-29 victory. detroit lions taking on the eagles in philly. pick it up third quarter. birds up three. michael vick slinging it to a wide open maclin. no one will catch him. a 70-yard touchdown, the longest play for the eagle this is season. they take a ten-point lead, but detroit, known for its fourth quarter comebacks, stafford to roloson, 17-yard score to put detroit down three. they would tie it up and go to overtime. in ot now, lions' kicker jason hanson from 45 yards out for the win, and it is good. philly loses 26-23. head in their bye week at 3-3.

big win for the lions. postseason baseball rolls out without the nationals. sorry, it's hard to say. and in new york it will have to continue without derek jeter. the yax last night in game one of the alcs lost their star shortstop. jim is nodding. i can see it. take you to yankee stadium, top of the 12th. yankees down 5-4. he stumbles, falls to the ground. we'll see it again. an iso on jeter. >> it hurts to watch this. >> look at the look on his face. could this be the lasting image for derek jeter? 158 postseason baseball games. it's over, at least for now. a fractured left ankle. three months' recovery time. a lot of questions on whether he can come back from this. the yankees lose game one. game two going on right now. we're going to take you back to the bronx for today's action. that's hiroki kor rhoda on the mound. first ever start on three days' rest and apparently suits him well. he strikes out triple crown w

winner miguel cabrera. prince fielder, he's done. and andy dirks. he strikes out the side. "k"s 7. it's 1-0 in the eighth inning. revving is racing and so is strategizing. bank of america 500 last night and the guy with the count counterintuitive strategy to let up on the gas wins the race. look at what happened last night at charlotte motor speedway. with 59 lapse to go off turn four, the race leader brad cass lou ski attempting to stretch his mileage, he ran out of fuel. he called it the worst case scenario. from 1st to 14th. final lap, the guy that's been chugging along conserving his fuel, in the 15 car, he would have enough to take the

checkers. clint bowyer wins the smart way. it was a close one. he ran out of fuel during his victory celebration. he moves up one spot to fourth in the sprint cup standings. kaz lou ski is at the top but the lead has thinned. he's now just seven points ahead of jimmie johnson. so mif facfive races left. >> check that fuel cage carefully. >> dare i mention the nlcs is tonight. is that hard to hear? the giants were on the plane ready to come here watching the game. >> really? >> and then they stayed in san francisco. >> they were actually on the plane? >> they were on the plane watching the end of that game. >> they had to be ready to go. >> that's one of the most painful images in my head to think that's what happened. >> i want to have that kind of treatment, if i need to go somewhere, can you just hold the plane for just -- i just need an hour. >> it was an idle plane just waiting to see where they were going. sorry, i didn't mean to bring it up. >> derek getting the ball out of his glove as he's falling with the fractured ankle. >> he's a warrior.

>> i'm no yankees fan but i like derek